Short One Off
by lilithbcole
Summary: Sole is camping out in Lexington, and must find a way to get back to the city.


The Lexington sign outside reflects the morning sun as it pours in through the window. It doesn't reach my face. I wake up with a jump, dreaming of falling from a cliff. I reach for the rings I have on a chain around my neck. The air is stale; the building I am in is in shambles. A piece of the ceiling crashes to the ground on the opposite side of the room and I decide to get up.

My bag is ratty- I made it from ripped cloth and duct tape several weeks ago. The rifle on the ground beside it is hardly durable enough- just a pipe gun looted from a raider. Upkeep on the gun almost makes it not worth the effort. The contents of my bag are strewn around the floor, as I was taking inventory before passing out last night.

Breakfast is dirty water, boiled and poured on a cup of blamco mac and cheese. I am running low on food and will need to take a trip to the city soon. I finish the pasta and down the rest of the water. My stomach churns at the contents. I gather up the kettle and stamp out the small fire I have going. I must gather the rest of my things.

I pick up my zippo lighter, and a roll of duct tape; it's almost used up. Setting those in the bottom of the bag, I pick up my other supplies.

Once everything is in the bag, I hoist it to my back and stand up. The stairs are rickety and creak with each step._ Creak, creak._ A radroach crawls out from under the bottom step and bites my ankle. I stomp on the bug with my boot and continue out the door. It is bright outside, and I hear echoes of gunfire. In the distance, several people shoot at each other. I wonder if I should stay in the building until nightfall. I remain crouched behind the doorframe until the shooting dies down. I know that I must get past them, but the path out of Lexington is through the center of town. Going around the city would alert the hoard of ferals camped out in the bushes. I must go through.

I hold on to the strap of my bag and run across the street. The building is a heap of bricks, but it provides enough cover that the raiders can't see me, but I can see them. I devise a plan to get through: the raiders won't notice me if I can distract them from the other side of the town center. I pick up a piece of rubble from the ground and toss it as hard as I can in the direction of the grocery store. It hits the ground with a small thud, one that even I could barely hear. This plan won't work. I consider throwing something bigger, such as my rifle, but that would be a waste. I come up with a different plan.

I run towards the statue in the battle green. Looking back and forth as I run, I make it to center. I climb inside the bus sitting next to it. I don't think to look for ferals inside, but luckily, there aren't any. As I peer through a window, I see three ferals amble over to the catwalk, where someone in power armor stands. There is movement, and then a blinding, burning flash of light. _BOOM_.

There isn't enough time to duck down, and the heat burns my cheek. I huddle to the ground and hold my face. I don't have any supplies to treat a nuke burn. I need to see a doctor soon.

The air is even hotter than before as the smoke dissipates. The ferals are an ash pile on the ground, and the figure in power armor is gone. I hadn't accounted for a fat man, but I know that time is now even more of a factor as the radiation necrotizes my skin. I grab my bag and climb out of the bus. I look around but see no one. I run inside the closest building and survey the road ahead. I must get past the catwalk with the power armored figure. I have no choice; I take a deep breath and sprint out of the building, toward the catwalk.

Gunfire. I see the gravel around me dance as bullets hit near my feet. I dare not look back. I keep going as fast as I can until I reach the building beneath the catwalk. I push inside the building, past the boards and huddle down beside a desk. I hear footsteps as raiders approach the building. The raiders speak.

"Aww man, come back! I was havin' fun!"

"Where'd that little bitch go?"

There is pounding on the wooden boards blocking the entrance. The raiders talk quietly to one another- it is too quiet for me to make out- and I hear footsteps again. They get quieter until the sound is gone. It sounds like they gave up and left, but I have learned that raiders don't give up that easily. I crouch below a hole in the wall and peer out. There is no movement, and I see no one around. I wonder if I can afford to stay here for long enough to wait them out, but my face burns and I remember that I may become a ghoul soon. I throw my bag over my shoulder and walk up to the door. Taking another deep breath, I crawl out on to the sidewalk. A bullet hits the ground next to my finger.

I push myself to my feet and run. Gunfire once more. Pieces of the buildings around me fly off and turn to dust. I turn a corner and catch my breath. I hear the signature whistle of a mini nuke falling through the air. I run as fast as I can and take cover behind a car. The explosion hits several yards away, and the car and I fly forward. It lands next to me with a crash. The heat from the explosion singes my hair and eyelashes. The smoke begins to dissipate, but my vision is blurred and my ears ring. The skin on every part of my body burns and I know that I am dying. I need to see a doctor immediately.

I push off the ground and continue to run for several blocks, out of the city. The bullets have ceased, and I am running through trees once more. I stop behind a bush and pull out the rest of my dirty water. I pour it over my face, arms, and hands, not worrying about the state of the water. I chuck it off into the woods and push on.

As I pass under the overpass, I see a radscorpion in the distance. I am in no shape to take one of those on, and I creep as quietly as I can to the road. The radscorpion crawls the other way, and out of sight. I see the shapes of buildings in the distance. Beyond the buildings are the outlines of skyscrapers. I am almost to the city. I avoid college square and follow the road around Cambridge until I get to the river. I see a trader and their brahmin sauntering up the road. I run to get closer, and shout my presence so that they don't open fire. They turn around and wait for me to approach. I ask if they have any medical equipment I could trade for, but they say that they only trade scrap.

I walk along the bridge until I get to the raider camp underneath it. There is no indication that they heard me, so I creep up to the ladder and climb it. Once I am on the other side, I hear shouting below me. Gunfire again, and I run again. No bullets hit me, and I make it to the other side. Just a few more blocks to Diamond City.

This side of the Charles has less activity, and I make it to the stadium's exterior without a problem. Some guards approach me, asking my business. I tell them that I am a trader and need medical supplies. They let me through. As I walk along the road, almost to the front gate, more gunfire. Shouting from both supermutants and guards ensues. I put my head down and continue; I am in no condition to do anything but get medical attention.

I walk inside the front gates and up the stairs. At the top, the walls open and the city is in view. It is busy today. Several citizens brush past me and down the stairs. I can see Piper and her sister peddling newspapers, and people taking them. I walk down and past the Publick Occurrences office. Piper grabs my arm.

"What happened to your face?!"

"I was hit by a mini nuke- I am dying. Is the doctor in?" I ask.

"Uh- yeah… He's over there-" She points to his stand.

I brush past her and approach him.

"Hi, I think I have radiation poisoning," I said.

Doctor Sun looked over my face, "It appears you do. Have a seat and I'll see to it." The doctor rubs something on my face and attaches an IV to my arm, injecting me with radaway.

"You should lie down for a while, so that the treatment works. Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

I peer over at Piper's shack, "Uh, yeah."

"Good. Then take this pack with you." He hands me the pack of radaway and shoos me away.

I saunter over to Piper and ask if I can stay the night to recover. She agrees, and walks me inside.

"You can stay here on the couch. Do you need anything?" she asks.

"This is fine, thanks." I reply.

"Well, okay. I hope you feel better…" Piper frowns and goes back outside.

I rest the sack of radaway on some books I stacked up next to me, and close my eyes.


End file.
